Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Dodgers Rumors

Colletti: “Some” Interest In Pettitte

By | at

George King of the New York Post swapped emails with Dodgers GM Ned Colletti, who admitted to "some" interest in free agent southpaw Andy Pettitte.  Ken Rosenthal originally reported the Dodgers possibility on Tuesday, and on Wednesday Ken Davidoff talked to a team official who considered a deal unlikely.

With Pettitte considering the Dodgers, King says the Yanks have a dilemma regarding the decision to offer him arbitration.  River Ave. Blues runs through the scenarios.  In a recent poll of over 2,700 MLBTR readers, 39.1% expected the Yanks to offer Pettitte arbitration.

Pirates Rumors: Wilson, Paulino, Byrd

By | at

Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is back on the scene to get us up to speed with the latest Pirates rumors.  Let’s start with the team’s five veteran trade candidates:

  • Jack Wilson: The Tigers and Dodgers are said to be the main suitors.  The problem is that neither team wants to send the Pirates top prospects while paying all of the $7.85MM Wilson has coming.  Additionally, the Pirates do not view Dodgers shortstop prospect Chin-Lung Hu as a possible trade centerpiece.  The Bucs have spoken to at least two other clubs about Wilson, but Kovacevic rejects the previously reported three-team scenario.  It seems that some of the top free agent shortstops will need to sign to create a better market for Wilson.
  • Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche:  The Pirates have received "mere inquiries" on these two.
  • John Grabow, Ronny Paulino: Grabow is a free agent after ’09, so his trade value may never be higher.  The Pirates are apparently pushing Paulino, but don’t want to sell low on him.
  • Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth, Paul Maholm, Matt Capps: These four are described as "as close to untouchable as it gets" for the Pirates.
  • On the free agent front, the Pirates have made contact with Paul Byrd.  However, GM Neal Huntington implied he’s not finding the starting pitching bargains he expected.  The Pirates haven’t made offers to Doug Mientkiewicz or Jason Michaels; those players are considering proposals from other teams.
  • Kovacevic adds: "The Pirates also had discussed acquiring a right-handed power bat for the outfield through free agency, but there has been no known movement on that front."  Just looking at who’s out there, I imagine this could be referring to Pat Burrell.  Still, that’s entirely speculative and he’s probably out of their price range.

Odds and Ends: Blue Jays, Dodgers, Dunn

By | at

Happy Thanksgiving!  Here are some links to snack on before the big meal.

Dodgers Talks For Wilson At Impasse

By | at

WEDNESDAY, 10:34pm: Rosenthal actually posted this update last night, but we’re adding it now.  He says the Pirates sought Hu, Delwyn Young, and a third player for Wilson.  That caused talks to grind to a halt.  Rosenthal added that the Dodgers are showing mild interest in Edgar Renteria but not Orlando Cabrera.

TUESDAY, 6:34pm: Rosenthal says the Pirates wanted Hu and two other young players, and the Dodgers balked at the price.

6:06pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers are again considering trading for Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson.  The Bucs would like to receive Chin-Lung Hu in return to replace Wilson at short.  The Tigers are known to have interest in Wilson as well.  He’s set to earn $7.25MM in ’09 and has a $8.4MM option for ’10 with a $600K buyout.  Wilson is known for his defense; he made sixteen more plays than the average shortstop in this year despite playing fewer than 700 innings.

Rosenthal says the Dodgers aren’t likely to sign Rafael Furcal and aren’t pursuing Orlando Cabrera or Edgar Renteria.  He notes that four teams are in on Cabrera.

Rafael Furcal Rumors: Wednesday

By | at

7:58pm: Kinzer told Joe Stiglich of the Contra Costa Times that the A’s are "right at the top of the list."

7:05pm: Kinzer revealed to Yahoo’s Tim Brown that the two unknown Furcal suitors "have to make some moves first."  So think of teams with incumbent shortstops, like the Braves.  Or perhaps a team that has to clear payroll like the Cubs.

4:25pm: Kinzer told Haft they’ll have it down to two teams before Monday or Tuesday.  The A’s, Giants, and two other clubs are still in the mix for Furcal.  This time, Kinzer told Haft he did talk to the Giants yesterday.  It’s unknown whether he has an offer from San Francisco, but there’s nothing from the A’s yet.

12:55pm: Susan Slusser and Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle learned that Kinzer did have talks with the Giants about Furcal on Tuesday.  MLB.com’s Chris Haft had Kinzer saying last night that he hadn’t spoken to Giants officials in two days.

10:11am: Rafael Furcal met with the A’s yesterday, and it’s not a stretch to suggest they’re the frontrunner for his services.  SI.com’s Jon Heyman says the A’s, Giants, Cubs, Dodgers, Braves, and a mystery team remain involved.  Interesting note from Heyman:

Furcal’s agent, Paul Kinzer, said by phone that he hasn’t fielded a correct guess from any media member on said mystery team. I gave it a shot on Tuesday night, throwing out the Reds — who appear to be in the mix on some surprising names — but he said that was incorrect.

Jon!  No!  You wasted your guess.  I believe the mystery team boils down to the Indians or Twins.  Thoughts? 

Brown’s Latest: Fuentes, Hoffman, Wilson, Aurilia

By | at

Here’s a look at the latest from Yahoo’s Tim Brown.

  • The Mets kicked around the idea internally of signing both Brian Fuentes and Trevor Hoffman.  The eighth inning would be a tough sell for either pitcher though.
  • Brown says that if the Angels fail to sign Mark Teixeira they will try to sign C.C. Sabathia as well as a closer like Fuentes.
  • The Dodgers want the Pirates to eat "a huge chunk" of the $7.85MM Jack Wilson has coming.
  • The Giants and Dodgers have shown interest in Rich Aurilia.

Odds and Ends: Maddux, Krivsky, Maroth

By | at

Links for Wednesday…

Rosenthal On Boras’ Scheme

By | at

Ken Rosenthal has a theory on Scott Boras’ goals in the free agent game:

  • Mark Teixeira and Jason Varitek to the Red Sox
  • C.C. Sabathia and Manny Ramirez to the Angels
  • Derek Lowe to the Yankees

The crux of the theory seems to be that Boras would want Manny near his Newport Beach headquarters to better babysit him.  Personally I have a hard time seeing any team sign two of the big three free agents, and it’s difficult to picture Manny as an Angel.

Rosenthal doesn’t see the Dodgers as major players, partially based on recent comments made by the McCourts.

Crasnick’s Free Agent Bargains

By | at

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick lists nine possible free agent bargains in his column today.  A few notes:

  • Randy Johnson is looking for a one-year deal, and his agent says the list of interested clubs is approaching double figures.  The Dodgers may make sense, though Johnson is on the backburner for them.
  • Crasnick speculates that Philadelphia could be a nice fit for Felipe Lopez.
  • Scott Boras seemingly wants a multiyear deal for Joe Crede, as he’s using the Magglio Ordonez contract as a model.  Maybe his new team would have the ability to opt out after the season if Crede hits the DL for back problems again.  Crasnick mentions the Rangers as an interesting fit for Crede.
  • Crasnick talked to execs who see Juan Rivera signing a two-year deal in the $6-8MM range.
  • Also weighing in on free agent bargains: Dave Cameron at FanGraphs and ESPN’s Keith Law.

Pettitte Considering Dodgers

By | at

WEDNESDAY: Newsday’s Ken Davidoff talked to a Dodgers official who said it’s unlikely they will sign Pettitte.

TUESDAY: According to Ken Rosenthal, free agent lefty Andy Pettitte spoke to Joe Torre multiple times about the possibility of signing with the Dodgers.  Rosenthal notes that Pettitte has a history of leaving when he doesn’t feel wanted, and the Yankees are taking a laid-back approach toward him this winter.  Still, the Yankees remain Pettitte’s first choice.  Rosenthal does not see Pettitte returning to Houston. 

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top